The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Prunus avium and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘SPC243’. ‘SPC243’ is a new cultivar of sweet cherry tree grown for fruit production.
The new cultivar of Prunus arose from a breeding program conducted by the Inventor at a research center in Summerland, BC, Canada with the goal of developing new cultivars of cherry tree that would extend the harvest season with firm, well-sized fruit with good stem pull retention, long storage life, and flowers that are self-fertile.
‘SPC243’ originated as a seedling that arose from seed planted from open pollination of ‘Sumtare’ (not patented). ‘SPC243’ was selected as a single unique tree in 1995 from amongst the resulting seedlings.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by chip budding and grafted onto Prunus avium rootstock by the Inventor in Summerland, BC, Canada in 1999. Asexual propagation by chip budding and grafting has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.